Arran The Bodega Sherry Cask

Picked up both the new Sherry cask Arran and the Quarter cask. It's a lazy Sunday, hot and humid outside, so staying in and watching some NFL Pre-season and figured it's a good time to do these head-to-head.

Sherry cask first. Bottled at a nice 55.8%, bottle opened 3 months, and is 80% full. Neat in a Glencairn. I'll be keeping Aberlour Abunadh in mind as well since I think a few people are comparing these two.

Nose: Arran notes are here with tropical fruit and vanilla, but it's accompanied by sweet sherry notes of candied dark fruits. Pineapple, lots of raisins, figs, a bit of nutmeg. Lots of vanilla. A sherry bomb with tropical notes. If I was comparing to Abunadh (in general, since there are many batches), I would say this is a bit "lighter" with Abunadh being generally "darker."

Palate: Much darker on the palate, with more sherry influence. Figs rule the roost, along with...more figs. Very figgy, with some plumbs and vanilla in there too. The mouthfeel is "thicker" than the nose led me to believe. Very warming as well. Would be very nice in winter around a fire.

Finish: Very warming finish. Still very figgy. Long lasting and the sherry notes really dominate the finish as they do on the palate.

Overall: This is a very warming, rich, sherried dram. You could recognize typical Arran notes on the nose, but the sherry took over after that. Again, compared to the similar Aberlour, this is a tad "lighter" (especially the nose). I wish the palate and finish carried on some of the tropical notes from the nose.

At $84USD!!!!! This won't be a repeated purchase for me. I remember just a few years ago grabbing the 14yo for $60. That almost makes me shed a tear....

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